Genetic variation of yellow pigment and its components in foxtail millet(Setaria italica(L.) P.Beauv.) from different eco-regions in China

Kernel color is an important trait for assessing the commercial and nutritional quality of foxtail millet. Yellow pigment content （YPC） and carotenoid components （lutein and zeaxanthin） of 270 foxtail millet accessions, including 50 landraces and 220 improved cultivars, from four different eco-regions in China were surveyed using spectrophotometry and high performance liquid chromatography methods. Results indicated that YPC had rich variance, ranging from 1.91 to 28.54 mg kg-1, with an average value of 17.80 mg kg-1. The average YPC of improved cultivars （18.31 mg kg-1） was significantly higher than that of landraces （15.51 mg kg-l）. The YPC in cultivars from the Loess Plateau spring sowing region （LPSSR） was the highest （20.59 mg kg-~）, followed by the North China summer sowing region （NCSSR, 18.25 mg kg-1）, the northeast spring sowing region （NSSR, 17.25 mg kg-1）, and the Inner Mongolia Plateau spring sowing region （IMPSSR, 13.92 mg kg-1）. The variation coefficients of YPC in cultivars from NSSR, LPSSR, and IMPSSR were higher than that from NCSSR. A similar carotenoid profile was also obtained for 270 foxtail millet cultivars. Lutein and zeaxanthin accounted for approximately 55-65% of YPC in accessions. The lutein content was higher than zeaxanthin content in all cultivars. The ratio of lutein to zeaxanthin ranged from 1.51 to 6.06 with an average of 3.34. YPC was positively correlated with lutein （r=0.935, P〈0.01）, zeaxanthin （r=0.808, P〈0.01 ）, and growth duration （t=0.488, P〈0.01 ）, whereas it was negatively correlated with grain protein （t=-0.332, P〈0.01） and 1 000-kernel weight （t=-0.153, P〈0.05）. Our study is useful for screening and selecting cultivars with high levels of yellow pigment and for enhancing phytochemical concentrations in breeding programs.

Evaluation of seed vigor in soybean germplasms from different eco-regions

Seed vigor plays an essential role in soybean production.Soybean seed is sensitive to environment and easy to get seed deterioration.Generally soybean seed vigor can be maintained for less than one year and have to be multiplied every year.Varieties with good seed vigor are essential for maintaining planting population and stable yield.In this research,419 germplasms from three eco-regions,South China,Huanghuai region and Northeast China,were evaluated for seed vigor by assessing germination ratio,germination potential and germination index.About 34.8%of tested germplasm had germination ratio equal or more than 85%,suggested by the national soybean seed quality standard of China.Only 9 from 82 tested cultivars met the seed standard.Seed germination ratio distribution had obvious regional feature.Landraces performed better seed vigor than cultivars.Germplasms from South China had stronger seed vigor compared to those from Huanghuai and Northeast regions.Seed vigor has no significant relationship with maturity and 100-seed weight.Totally 21 germplasms with strong seed vigor,favor maturation and seed size were identified and can be used in future breeding program.

Improving Indigenous Technologies for Sustainable Land Use in Northern Mountainous Areas of Vietnam

More than 30 ethnic groups are now living in northern mountainous regions, Vietnam, mainly relying on shifting cultivation with the fallow period being shortened from time to time. Naturally, soil fertility reduces from cycle to cycle, entailing the reduction of productivity. Large areas of moderately sloping lands suitable for upland agriculture have become bare after many cultivation-fallow cycles. The soils there have been severely degraded with more toxicity, low porosity, low water retention capacity and poor floral diversity. Normally, these lands cannot be used for food crop cultivation. So farmers in uplands have to rely on slash-and-burn practices for their livelihood. As there is no more forest with good soil in medium slopes, farmers go to cut forests in watershed, high slope lands and old forests up to the mountains’ top. There are ecologically and environmentally very sensitive areas, so their destruction will inevitably cause hazardous consequences in the whole basin. Meanwhile, cultivation in these areas has low economic efficiency and sustainability because the crop yield may decrease very fast due to severe erosion as the higher the slope, the more serious erosion. Consequently living standards of highland farmers remain low and unstable. Sustainable farming on these lands in the perspective of a seriously deteriorated ecology and environmental is not an easy task. There have been many projects trying to help mountainous farmers get out of their vicious circle. However, due to different reasons, the results gained are low, and in some cases, things ceased to move after the projects phased out. During past few years, based on the farmer experiences, the Vietnam Agricultural Science Institute has cooperated with local and international partners to implement different projects in order to solve the problems by developing simple, easy and cheap cultivation technologies, which can be accepted and applied by local poor farmers for sustainable agricultural production. The first results of our activities offered good opportunities for sustain food production, improve soil health, recharge of aquifers, and enhanced household income for better rural lively hoods in the upland eco-regions of northern Vietnam.

Nature and theoretical foundation of ecoregionalization:a case study in China

The increasing relevance and importance of zoning regional biotic factors and environmental variables to scientists and management agencies are fully introduced. Comprehensive research into regional differentiation of ecosystems, nevertheless, remains comparatively neglected. A rounded eco-regionalization System in terms of regional ecosystem properties and distribution can supply powerful tools for rational and sustainable utilization of natural resources, solution of regional environmental problems, and conservation of biodiversity. In this paper, ideas on nature, theoretical foundation and methods available to eco-regionalization are presented Finally, a new ecoregionalization system of China based on specific principles of ecological division is prepared.

Distribution,Use Pattern and Prospects for Conservation of Medicinal Shrubs in Uttaranchal State,India

The present paper gives an insight into the distribution and use pattern of medicinal shrubs in Uttaranchal State. A total of 222 medicinal and aromatic shrub species have been appended based on secondary information. Euphorbiaceae, Rosaceae, Verbenaceae, and Fabaceae have the highest repre- sentatives of medicinal shrubs. Twenty one families had one species each in medicinal use. Verbenaceae and Euphorbiaceae in the sub-tropical region, Rosaceae in the temperate region, and Ericaceae and Rosaceae in the sub-alpine and alpine regions, respectively, had the highest representatives of medicinal shrubs. The distribution of medicinal shrubs was 42 % in sub-tropical, 29 % in warm temperate, 13 % in cool temperate, 9 % in sub-alpine and 7 % in the alpine region. Of the total species, 70 medicinal shrubs were native to the Himalayas and 22 native to Himalayan region including other Hima- layan countries. The most frequently used plant parts for various ailments were leaves (31 %) and roots (23 %). Most shrubs are being used for the diseases, viz. skin diseases, dysentery, cough, fever, wounds, and rheumatism. The present paper will help in the execution of strategies for promotion and cultivation of medicinal shrubs in Uttaranchal State.

Changes and drivers of afro-alpine forest ecosystem: future trajectories and management strategies in Bale eco-region, Ethiopia

Introduction:Ecosystem change and respective conservation needs were at top priority areas in the globe especially at biodiversity hotspot zones and places of endemism like Bale eco-region.In this aspect,this study had tried to assess historical landscape changes of afro-alpine forest ecosystem with its respective driving forces and effectiveness of different institutional arrangements to protect this ecosystem.Methods:The study utilized satellite imagery from Landsat series starting from 1986 to 2016,ground truth data from GPS-based field survey,focus group discussions,and reconnaissance field survey.Historical landscape maps were prepared with a mix of supervised and unsupervised image classification methods.Future landscape change simulation was undertaken by using cellular automata modeling on Dynamic Environment for Geoprocessing Objects(Dinamica EGO)software.Beyond areal change and transition of landscape elements,level of ecosystem fragmentation was assessed with FRAGSTAT software.Results:Results have shown that there is encroachment of human-induced land use patterns especially agriculture and grazing while closed canopy forest and woodland ecosystems have decreased in their extent.Simulation outputs for the coming three decades have also shown similar patterns with historical trends.Beyond changes in areal extent,landscape matrix analysis results indicated that there is increasing class and landscape level fragmentation both in its historical and future probable likelihoods.Effectiveness of different management strategies at different institutional arrangement were differ in their effectiveness that federal and regional government were not able to curve landscape change.Conclusions:In conclusion,increasing population pressure and weak policy implementation and legal enforcement has caused threats for alpine forest ecosystem in Bale eco-region.Except participatory forest management,management strategies at different institutional arrangements were failed to conserve forest.These calls reinnovated participatory forest management strategies that base community participation while simultaneously keeps livelihoods demands of local community.

Spatial patterns and environmental factors influencing leaf carbon content in the forests and shrublands of China

Leaf carbon content(LCC)is widely used as an important parameter in estimating ecosystem carbon(C)storage,as well as for investigating the adaptation strategies of vegetation to their environment at a large scale.In this study,we used a dataset collected from forests(5119 plots)and shrublands(2564 plots)in China,2011-2015.The plots were sampled following a consistent protocol,and we used the data to explore the spatial patterns of LCC at three scales:plot scale,eco-region scale(n=24),and eco-region scale(n=8).The average LCC of forests and shrublands combined was 45.3%,with the LCC of forests(45.5%)being slightly higher than that of shrublands(44.9%).Forest LCC ranged from 40.2%to 51.2%throughout the 24 eco-regions,while that of shrublands ranged from 35%to 50.1%.Forest LCC decreased with increasing latitude and longitude,whereas shrubland LCC de-creased with increasing latitude,but increased with increasing longitude.The LCC increased,to some extent,with increasing temperature and precipitation.These results demonstrate the spatial patterns of LCC in the forests and shrublands at different scales based on field-measured data,providing a reference(or standard)for estimating carbon storage in vegetation at a regional scale.

Seasonal and geographical distribution of bacillary dysentery(shigellosis)and associated climate risk factors in Kon Tum Province in Vietnam from 1999 to 2013

Background:Bacillary dysentery(BD)is an acute bacterial infection of the intestine caused by Shigella spp.,with clinical symptoms ranging from fever to bloody diarrhoea to abdominal cramps to tenesmus.In Vietnam,enteric bacterial pathogens are an important cause of diarrhoea and most cases in children under 5 years of age are due to Shigella strains.The serogroups S.flexneri and S.sonnei are considered to be the most common.The main objective of this study was to,for the first time,assess the seasonal patterns and geographic distribution of BD in Vietnam,and to determine the climate risk factors associated with the incidence of BD in Kon Tum Province,where the highest rate of bacillary dysentery was observed from 1999 to 2013.Methods:The seasonal patterns and geographic distribution of BD was assessed in Vietnam using a seasonaltrend decomposition procedure based on loess.In addition,negative binomial regression models were used to determine the climate risk factors associated with the incidence of BD in Kon Tum Province,from 1999 to 2013.Results:Overall,incidence rates of BD have slightly decreased over time(except for an extremely high incidence in 2012 in the north of Vietnam).The central regions(north/south central coast and central highlands)had relatively high incidence rates,whereas the northwest/east and Red River Delta regions had low incidence rates.Overall,seasonal plots showed a high peak in the mid-rainy reason and a second smaller peak in the early or late rainy season.The incidence rates significantly increased between May and October(“wet season”)across the country.In Kon Tum Province,temperature,humidity,and precipitation were found to be positively associated with the incidence of BD.Conclusions:Our findings provide insights into the seasonal patterns and geographic distribution of BD in Vietnam and its associated climate risk factors in Kon Tum Province.This study may help clinicians and the general public to better understand the timings of outbreaks and therefore equip them with the knowledge to plan better interventions(such as improving water,sanitation,and hygiene conditions)during peak seasons.This can,in turn,prevent or reduce outbreaks and onwards transmission during an outbreak.